


Guardian Angel

by Shinku130



Category: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: AU-Guardian, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Fluff and Angst, Post-Game(s), Reincarnation, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:57:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23998612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinku130/pseuds/Shinku130
Summary: Xia only knows one thing for certain, protect Cloud. She doesn’t know who Cloud is or why she has to protect him, it's just the only thing she knows. Through various circumstances, Xia and Cloud meet and through this meeting more questions surface than answers. Faced with lost memories, past lives and the ever impending doom of the planet, Xia and Cloud are going to find that sometimes, not knowing where you've been is a part of finding where you're meant to be.
Relationships: Cloud Strife/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

_Long ago when the world was created and upon the barren Earth, a mighty war raged between the Kidemónes, keepers of light and life and the Pasménos, beings of darkness and destruction._

_Neither side would surrender, for at the helm of the army of Pasménos was Jenova, a being with enormous destructive power. And her adversary of the Kidemónes was Dáreios Theravon, king and the strongest among warriors. The two clashed over and over again, neither side slowing down casualties amongst both rose exponentially as the years wore on._

_For Unbeknownst to the two leaders, two of their own met in secret and shared a love that transcended the chaos that was bestowed onto their people._

_Xenia Theravaon, Dáreios’s own daughter and the strongest wielder of white magic and the beloved princess to many of her people. Ouranos Abrax, the head general of Jenova’s army and one of the strongest warriors under her service._

_Both had met on the field of battle, Xenia was healing the soldiers from both sides, while Ouranos was seeing who was still alive at the battle. Ouranos had spotted her, and approached believing that she was one Jenova’s healer’s, only to see that she was from the Kidemónes army. Stealthily, Ouranos approached her ready to strike her down, however, just as his sword was about to meet her flesh. The healer quickly spun around and met his sword with a barrier of bright white magic._

_His blueish green eyes widened slightly in surprise, but other than that his face remained impressive as he spoke coolly, "Not bad for a Kidemónes healer."_

_Ouranos watched as the healer's brown eyes shined with utter amusement as she responded, "Healer? I am amused that you think I am a simple healer."_

_Before Ouranos could fully grasp what she meant, a sword of red appeared within her right hand and she struck his sword away from her. While he was distracted by her attack, quickly she turned and began to flee into the forest._

_Just as quick as he was on the battlefield, Ouranos quickly appeared in front of the fleeing maiden, reflexively she struck out her sword of red, however, he was quick to disarm her. As her sword flew a few meters away from her, Ouranos placed the very edge of his blade at her throat._

_The two locked eyes for those few moments, but it was within those simple moments that a connection was made. A connection that transcended normal connections, Ouranos removed his blade from her being and proceeded to walk around her. His dark blue armor glinted underneath the light of the full moon._

_“Why do you spare me, General Ouranos?” She asked as she turned her body to face the back of him._

_“I do not fight against an opponent that doesn’t know how to use a sword.” He responded coldly, as he glanced at her from over his shoulder._

_“Then teach me! That sword is my mothers’-” She began as she walked over to where the sword that was embedded into the ground and picked it up._

_“What a strange request. You ask your enemy to help you. Why not ask one of your soldiers to teach you?” He quickly cut in, turning to fully face her._

_Her eyes cast themselves to the ground; her right hand gripped the sword tightly as strands of her black hair to fall around her face._

_“Hmph. They don’t have time to babysit me.” She responded dejectedly before slamming the sword back into ground and turned to look at Ouranos, a fire lit in her eyes._

_“I will fight you here and now! Your sword against my magic! If I win you will teach me how to fight with a sword!” She challenged as she pointed at him._

_Ourano allowed a smirk to grace his features as his blond hair was fell into his eyes slightly before he allowed his bright colored eyes to meet hers,_

_“And what if I win?”_

_“Then you get whatever you want.” She replied as she allowed a small smile to grace her lips._

_Ouranos hummed with amusement as he removed his sword from his back, and pointed it at her as he spoke once more,“Very well then, Princess. Shall we begin?”_

_It was then that two clash, magic barriers appeared whenever Ouranos went to try and strike her down. However, she would counter his strike with her magic, ranging from pure flames of white to the very greenest of ground magic._

_For if anyone spectated the ferocity these two would like they were dancing. Eventually, Ouranos managed to get behind her and his blade was once more pressed against her throat.  
“Looks like I win, Princess Xenia.” His deep silvery voice purred in her ear with an amused chuckle at the end._

_Xenia looked up at him with a small smile and responded back,” So you knew who I was. What gave me away?”_

_He gazed down at her before he replied,” Your magic. It’s one of the strongest that we had ever encountered.”_

_Xenia simply nodded accepting his answer. Ouranos removed his blade, sheathing it onto his back before turning to walk away. She watched with confusion as she called out, “What did you want as your prize, Ouranos?”_

_“I’ll let that be a surprise. For now if you are serious about using your sword I suggest we meet here tomorrow eve. When the moon is at its highest peak.” He replied back before allowing his Taoreta to emerge from his back._

_It was obviously a male one, broad shoulders and obviously muscular, his wing span was large and were built similar to that of the Draconis with a single talon at the tip of each wing. His horns were curved upward over his head; he glowed a deep purple with a tinge of blue mixed in. It was a beautiful sight as she watched them fly off, most likely to return to their home._

_“What a confusing man. Don’t you think, Ithouriél?" Xenia asks softly as she allows her Tenshi to emerge from her back._

_She looked up at Ithouriél, her golden eyes were glittering with mirth as she nodded in agreement. Ithouriél’s body was made of Xenia’s pure white magic, with only the gold from her eyes and hair that radiate from the light._

_Soon they two used their mighty wings and began to make their way back home. From then the two began to meet every night in secret, while Xenia grew to become more able with her sword, thanks to Ouranos’s teachings. As their nights continued onward, soon Xenia had managed to disarm Ourano._

_“Looks like the student surpassed the master,” Xenia stated playfully as the tip of her sword sat underneath his chin._

_Ouranos simply smirked as he replied back, “Is that so?”_

_Before Xenia had a chance to react, Ouranos quickly shifted out of the way of the blade, his left hand struck out, gripping her wrist before he used his right leg to trip and managed to catch her before she hit the ground._

_In her surprise, Xenia dropped the sword, letting out a small squeak before shutting her eyes. When she felt her body instead of hitting the ground, she was being cradled to a strong chest._ /p>

_Slowly she opened her eyes, only to meet Ouranos’s smug smile as he spoke,“Almost Princess, but you let your guard down too soon.”_

_Xenia simply puffed out her cheeks as she pouted which caused him to chuckle as he leaned down and pecked her lips before helping her stand. As soon as they were to their feet, she noticed the look of worry in Ouranos’s eyes._

_“What’s the matter, love? I can see the worry in your eyes.” She called in a worried question._

_Ouranos let out a small sigh before he pulled her close and began to speak, “Jenova is planning something. She's been taking the very life force from our fallen soldiers. I think she is creating something, but it has me worried because of what it might do…”_

_Ouranos pulled away slightly and placed a hand upon her cheek lovingly, Xenia knew that he didn’t express his emotions a lot, but she had been with him long enough to understand him through the most simplest gestures. Though the most telling sign to her was through his eyes as they held expressions most would miss, but not to her._

__

__

_“That does sound disconcerting. But now that I think about it, I have noticed my father doing the same… Just he takes small portions from our soldiers, but also sometimes civilians… I think they are trying to end this war and I fear that they will cause both sides to fall. As well as the destruction of this planet.” Xenia replied with her own worry as she placed her hand upon his that was resting on her cheek._

_Ouranos pulled his hand away from her cheek before turning away; Xenia could see that he had a thoughtful look in his eyes. Gently she called out,_

_“Ouranos? What is it? Speak to me darling.”_

_At the call of his name he turned to her, before simply holding out his hand to her for her to take. Xenia placed her hand into his and allowed him to guide her into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist._

_“Let us perform the Tamashi no Sokubashu. Here and now…” He softly spoke as he laid his head hers._

_Xenia’s eyes widened as she pulled away slightly and looked within his eyes before she replied, “Are you sure you wish to perform the ceremony with me? My love, if we do this it will be for eternity.”_

_Ouranos looked down at his beloved as he spoke once more with determination and love, “Yes we won’t know what will happen tomorrow. I do know I want you as my wife. You are the other half of my soul. Come what may we shall be together.”_

_Xenia could feel her eyes begin to tear up as she smiled loving at him, placing her hand upon his cheek and said, “Yes. I will gladly perform the ritual with you.”_

_Ouranos couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face as he pressed his lips against hers. As he pulled away, he allowed his right hand to pace a large magical symbol upon the ground while Xenia did the same with her left. The symbols mixed together, a light of purple and gold mixing together in perfect harmony. They both looked into each other in the eyes as Ouranos began to speak._

_“Xenia Theravon, Princess of the Kidemónes, you are the sun in my day. The wind in my sky and the waves in my ocean.”_

_Ouranos then took her left hand and placed it over his shirt where his heart sat and spoke the last line with as much love as held for her. “You are the beat of my heart and I would be by your side forever until the world falls.”_

_Xenia smiled at him lovingly with tears streaming down her face as she began to speak. “Ouranos Abrax, Commander and general of Pasménos, for it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart._

_It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.” She then took his right hand and placed it between her breast where her heart lay and spoke with love and conviction._

_“You may hold my hand for a while, but you hold my heart for eternity.”_

_After their vows of love were exchanged, the two summoned their Taoreta and Tenshi allowing the two to interact with each other. Once it had become evident the two accepted each other, Xenia and Ouranos completed the ritual with the binding of flesh._

_As the sun rose, the two were now not only husband and wife, but of one soul with a connection that transcended all of the chaos that was caused by the war that raged. Soon the two lovers were forced to part once more to return to their respective armies. While they waited anxiously for the sun to set so they could be reunited once more, the two had learned of what was being created by their rulers._

_The Materia of Seikatsu meant to be wielded to take the life from one being and transcend it into a new life. And the Materia of Shi, the taker of life that transcends the life it takes into a destructive force._  
_Knowing that if the two were to meet in combat there would be destruction like no other. Fearing for the life of her husband and vice versa the two took the materia before their respective leaders could bind themselves to them and met once more under the cover of darkness._

_Xenia waited under the full moon once more for her husband, the Siekatsu held tightly close to her chest. It was then that she heard the breaking of twigs behind her; quickly she turned and allowed a smile to grace her features as Ouranos entered the moonlit clearing. The two quickly ran to each other, wrapping their arms around the other, before finally sharing a kiss._

_Xenia gently pulled away first before she asked,“Do you think this will work, Ouranos? Can we create a barrier and new life?”_

_“I have faith this will work, Xenia. It has to with the new life both armies would have to yield. For Jenova she would yield simply to think of ways to try and use these beings as a pawn in her own distorted game. Your father is an honorable man. I can see him wanting them to thrive in this new world we create for them.” Ouranos responded as he placed a hand on her cheek._

_Upon learning the information that they knew, the two lovers used their newly formed bond to come up with the plan to use the power of the two materia to create new life from them._

_“No matter what, we’ll be together. I swear it, my love.” Xenia stated as she placed her hand upon his cheek._

_“Till the end.” Ouranos responded before the two shared one last kiss before they both began to walk into the center of the clearing and placed the materia where they stood under the bright moon._

_Soon the two summoned their Taoreta and Tenshi and began to cast their magic. Combining them and began to use the power of the materia. However, before they could finish the spell, a familiar sword was plunged through Ourano’s chest and straight through his heart. Xenia watched in horror as the sword withdrew from his body._

_Xenia ran over, catching his body before it hit the ground. Her eyes landed upon the man that took her husband away; just as soon as their eyes locked he vanished to return back to where he came from._

_Tears streaked down her face as she laid Ouranos onto the ground, her hands upon his cheeks and weakly calls out,_

_"Ouranos… love… please… wake up. You can't leave me." At the call of his name Ouranos opened his eyes._

_Xenia instantly felt hope fill her as she quickly said, "Hold on. I'll heal you-"_

_"No… do you remember our bet… finish this… I love you and I'll be with you always…" Ouranos spoke out weakly as he placed his hand upon her cheek one last time._

_As it fell from her cheek and his eyes closed Xenia called out his name over and over. Her white gown was now dyed red in the blood of her husband, as she laid him upon the ground, she kissed his cold lips and stood up. Xenia watched as the sun rose, anger, sorrow, and overwhelming pain gripped her body._

_Xenia looked down at her chest, upon it was now a black inky looking heart that seemed to sprout black veins and she knew that she was dying. Looking over at her husband's sword, which was embedded in the ground next to the Shi materia, she walked over to it and removed it from the ground._

_Xenia then picked up the Shi materia, before placing it in the center of the skull that was in the hilt of the sword. Xenia then looked over at the sword of mother that was embedded just like Ouranos’s sword, next to Seikatsu materia. Xenia removed her mother’s sword, instead of using it to house the Seikatsu materia, she dematerialized her mother’s sword and summoned her long magic staff._

_At the top was a golden star with a single slot in the center, where Xenia placed the materia before gripping it within her left hand. Within her right hand the weight of Ourano’s sword rested in her palm. She summoned her Tenshi and together they both stared at the rising sun before Xenia spoke with conviction,_

_“Shall we go to war, Ithouriél?”_

_Feeling her Tenshi she quickly took flight and began to fly toward where the battle was raging. Xenia didn’t bother to hide her presence as she flew speedily toward the two figures that were standing behind the front lines._

_Xenia, began to charge heading straight for them, however, one of Jenova’s soldiers saw her and called for a volley of arrows to be launched at her. Ithouriél saw this; quickly she got in front of Xenia and used her mighty golden wings to cast the arrows back at the soldiers of Pasménos._

_Normally the cries of the dying would have disturbed her, but with her dying state she no longer felt anything for those who took her love away. With a quickness of the wind, Xenia appeared in front of Seraph, the silver haired general that had plunged his sword into the heart of Ourano._

__

__

She could see the surprise in his eyes, as she plunged Ourano’s sword into his heart, before she ripped it from him as he did to her husband. As soon as she ripped the sword from his body, twisting to the right she also simultaneously beheaded him. Turning she faced, Jenova who held a look of awe, combined with anger in her eyes as a cruel smirk coated her face.

_The soldiers of Pasménos began to slowly back away giving the two women room as they circled each other like predators. One waiting for the other to make a move, Jenova grew tired of the wait and struck at her. Swords and magic clashed in a spectacle that awed and brought fear into both of the armies._

_But it brought fear most in Dáreios as he watched his daughter fight against Jenova. Soon the two women were broken apart with one last clash of swords, Xenia could feel the dying veins grow stronger and she knew that she was nearing her end. She let out a breath before slamming Ourano’s sword into the ground, the eyes of the skull began to glow as did the Shi Materia._

_Jenova saw this, her eyes widening in surprise as she was suddenly surrounded by inky blackness and the dead rising out of it holding her in place. Her angry eyes met with Xenia’s cold, numb ones as she raised her staff allowing her light magic to fill the Seikatsu Materia._

_High above the clouds a portal with a sun in the center covered the sky and began to glow brighter and brighter. It was then that a large beam of pure white light emerged; raining down upon Jenova, destroying her, all that was left was a large crater. As soon as Xenia’s feet touched the ground the inky black vines that coated her body were on the verge of becoming complete. She could hear the sound of her father calling her name; she turned to see him running toward her._

_All Xenia could do was give him a weak smile as she turned away and began to walk back toward her husband's sword. She stared at it for a moment before taking her staff and slammed it behind with a slight slant._

_“Let us complete our promise, Ithouriél. Ourano’s and Raziel are waiting for us…” Xenia muttered sorrowfully._

_At the end of her sentence, a dark purple and a pure white light emerged from the two weapons and entered the sky giving the planet they walked upon life. Both Xenia and Ithouriél were covered in it as they used the last of their power to finish the spell._

_Death and hate for Life and love, thus created the first ever humans, and with that Xenia fell to the ground, expecting to meet nothing, but darkness. Instead she was greeted to a large plane of white, within the glowing white she could hear her father apologizing for everything and that he gave mercy to Ourano’s spirit._

_The two would meet again, until that time she would sleep and listen to the life she created from her and Ourano’s love. And so she slept, until she could hear someone calling out._

“Hey. Hey. Wake up!”

And with that, brown eyes opened once more only to meet blueish green eyes that seemed familiar to her.


	2. Found, but Lost

It was strange to her to be greeted by the sight of the blond headed male that was kneeling next to her.As she went to sit up, she winced as she felt a large throbbing in her head. She could see the man was staring with some confusion within his eyes, however, as she sat up and tried to take in her surroundings, she could only make out blurry blobs of color. When she moved her right hand, she could feel the cold touch of thin metal, looking down she noticed a pair of glasses and quickly put them on. The world around her quickly became clearer as she took in the large forest that she appeared to be in.

“Where-” She began, but as she tried to leaf through her memories all she received back was pain.

The man that was still kneeling next to her didn’t say anything, only watched her with a small hint of worry. Instantly she took notice of the way he was looking at her and went to stand up. However, as soon as she got to her feet, her knees instantly buckled causing the man to instinctively catch her. 

“Apologies. I guess it’s been a while since I used my legs. May I know your name?” She asked timidly as she looked up into his eyes as she stepped back trying to get her bearings.

He looked away slightly as if debating if he should give it or not, however, it was decided for him. The sound of something large was heard rustling within the bushes; quickly he turned and maneuvered his body so he was standing in front of her.

“Stay behind me.”

She watched as he withdrew the large sword from his back just as a large grey worm-like monster emerged. She could see all kinds of eyes running down the sides as well as its mouth splitting open revealing a large amount of teeth.

Just as the one in front of them emerged, she could see that another had emerged quietly to their right and charged at the man. Reacting upon instinct, she quickly shifted her body to his side and raised her left hand allowing the energy to emerge from her palm, forming a shield and her back was against his.

The monster ran head first into the shield causing it to become paralyzed. The blonde quickly used the momentary stun to his advantage. He shifted away from the first worm, quickly shifted so his body was once again in front of her and slashed the worm in half horizontally. Just as soon as he did the other worm charged at him once more.

She instantly noticed, once more she placed her back against his once more and placed up another shield. Just as soon as the worm hit the shield, he quickly dispatched it just as he did to the other one. Both of them kept their guard up, waiting for more to arrive.

When there was no sign of any more creatures to attack them, she watched the blond sheath his large sword and she allowed her hands to return to her sides. She then began to look around the area when she noticed a single staff that was impaled into the ground. She walked over to the long blue and golden staff, when suddenly she was hit with a broken memory:

_“Xi...a... “ A male voice brokenly called out._

_Her hands were stained red even as the rain poured down._

It was then she felt a hand land upon her left shoulder causing her jump slightly at the feeling. She turned to face the blond haired man, who was staring at her with concern littered in his eyes.

“I.. I’m fine. Apologies.” She stated as she walked away from him and toward the staff, unaware, of his eyes following her closely as if waiting for her to fall.

When she removed the staff from the ground, she heard the man behind her take a breath before speaking quietly, “Cloud Strife.”

Blinking she turns to face and notices that his back is to her. Cloud must have felt her confused gaze on his back before he continued, “My name.”

She could feel her lips twitch upward into a small smile as she responds with a bit of hesitance, “I am… Xia.”

Cloud simply hummed out that he heard her as he walked forward; Xia glanced behind her once more before turning around and ran after him. As the two were walking, Xia looked around as they walked before turning to him.

“May I ask where we are?” She wondered with a perplexed expression.

“Just outside the Slums of Sector 2,” Cloud responded bluntly as he continued to walk onward.

Xia frowned as confusion set in causing her to stop and look down at her black boots. Cloud stopped when he noticed that Xia had stopped walking, turning to see what caused her to stop. Xia had her right hand upon her head, and her left hand gripped the staff tightly until her knuckles turned white. 

However, Xia eventually relaxed as the pain went away and she gave Cloud a weak smile. “Apologies I am sure you are in a hurry.” 

Cloud didn’t say anything as he nodded his head before turning to begin walking away again. He glanced over his right shoulder to make sure that Xia was still following; thankfully, she had begun to quickly follow after him. She didn’t know how long they walked, but they eventually came to a small little town.

Xia stared in awe as they entered the small town, as they passed by small shops until they eventually came to a store that read ‘Dragon’s Lair’ on the sign. She stared at it with a bit of confusion, but followed Cloud inside; standing behind the counter was an older man standing behind the counter.

Xia watched as Cloud approached him and with a slightly bored tone speak, “We got rid of those worms.”

This caused the older man to turn to face Cloud and spoke out with a kind voice, “I appreciate it, young man. Here is the payment I promised.”

The older man handed Cloud a bag of money, Cloud accepted it, nodding to the store owner before turning to leave. Xia stood off to the side allowing Cloud to pass by her once more, just as she was about to leave the older man called out to her,

“Young lady, I assume you are an acquaintance to that young merc? If you plan on following him then you will need something more than a simple staff to assist him. Here you can have this free of charge.” 

Xia looked over at Cloud who also had stopped simply looking at Xia before he spoke calmly, “I’ll wait for you outside.”

Xia watched as he left the shop before turning to look at the elderly man, who simply smiled at her before turning and vanishing behind a door. She stood in the quiet shop, feeling extremely awkward; her staff was clutched tight against her chest as she waited.

Eventually the elderly man emerged, with a long silver case, placing it on the counter with a grunt, he signaled for Xia to come over to where he was. Hesitantly she did so as soon as she was close enough; the man opened the suitcase revealing a long black sword. 

Xia instantly felt another massive amount of pain enter her head as she stared at the screaming face. Its eyes glowed a deep purple, near where the hilt met the blade there was a slightly raised section that would glow a deep purple.

Xia picked it up, holding it in her right and she instantly felt the connection between herself and the sword. The weight felt familiar as she held the black blade, it was then she noticed that in the center of the forehead appeared to be a small groove as if it was meant to hold a round circular object there.

“This sword has been with us for many years. I think now is the time for it to finally have an owner. You take care out there and make sure that young man takes care.” The elderly man stated as he handed her a black sheath along with a belt that was attached.

Xia took the items, placing the sword within its sheath before buckling it up around her waist. Xia looked at the old man who was looking at her with knowing dark blue eyes,

“Thank you. I better get going. Have a good day sir.”

Xia gave him a small smile as she turned to leave the shop as the shopkeeper watched her leave. Once Xia had gone through the door that went back outside, she looked over to her right to see Cloud leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.

“Cloud? May I make a request of you?” Xia asked quietly as she approached him, which caused him to open his eyes and look at her quietly.

Taking this as a sign to continue she spoke once more,” I… Don’t know who I am other than the name Xia and that I can do magic. Will you help me find my memories?”

Cloud straightened himself from the wall, and turned to her. Her eyes met with his as he spoke to her calmly, “I’ll help you. For the right price.”

Cloud watched as her eyes lit up with a fire that seemed familiar to him as she responded back confidently, “Name your price.”

Something about that sentence had stirred something within him and he said, “Fifteen thousand gil.”

Cloud watched as the lit in her eyes began to brighten as she responded back with a determined tone, “Alright. I’ll get that amount. In exchange I’ll be your personal healer and you’ll help me with my memories.” She held out her right hand for him to shake it, Cloud stared at her for a moment realizing she meant it and walked over to where she was standing and shook her hand.

“You got a deal. I’ll be around town for a bit longer.” He stated as they separated from the hand shake.

Xia nodded before saying,” If you will give me until this evening I’ll have your gil.”

Cloud let out a hum of understanding before turning and walking away as Xia watched him walk away. When he was out of sight, Xia let out a small sigh as she turned and began to walk out around to see if there were any jobs that she could do.

It was then that she heard a male voice yelling out. “Come one! Come all! Want to test your might!? Come try and win the grand prize of thirty thousand gil!”

This caught Xia’s attention, as she began to make her way over to the man that was yelling out the announcement. She could see that he was wearing ripped jeans and was wearing a weird kind of vest. 

“What kind of contest is it?” Xia asked as she stepped forward from the small crowd that had gathered around.

The man turned to her, before saying with a chuckle, “It’s a simple test of strength. You have to survive 4 rounds of fighting. The winner of the matches gets the prize money.”

“Where do I sign up?” Xia asked, tilting her head in confusion.

The man smirked slightly before jumping down from his perch and looked at Xia with judging dark green eyes and spoke once more with a slightly cocky tone, “You looking to sign up, sweetie?”

Xia narrowed her eyes, before she reached up and pushed up her glasses and responded sternly, “Yes and please don’t call me sweetie.”

The man let out a small cackle, as he moved out of the way to and pointed to a door to a nearby building and said, “Well, Kitty Kat, go right through that door and go to the bar, tell the bartender that, Mac sent ya.”

Xia could feel a bit anxious at the thought of entering an unfamiliar building, but despite that Xia knew that she needed the gil so she could get Cloud to help her. She nodded her head toward the guy before walking over to the metal door and opened it to reveal a large room with a crowd of people dancing as well as loud music playing.

Xia then proceeded to head toward the bartender that was near the back of the bar. In the back of the bar she could see a tall bulky man cleaning the cups with an almost tender like. More than likely so he didn’t break them due to his size.

The man noticed her approaching; as he looked up, his hazel eyes met hers and he asked her kindly, “You need something?”

Xia clenched her staff in her left hand before she quietly said, “Mac sent me.”

The man nodded his head as he set down his glass and signaled her to follow him. She watches as he lifts up the counters to allow her inside before leading her to a door and opening it to reveal a red velvet lavish hallway.

He then proceeded down it, opened the only door revealing her a flight of stairs that seemed to lead down stairs. Eventually they came to a small room that had a few tables and chairs and seemed to be well equipped with dealing with injuries as well as offering up drinks. Xia turned to the man with a confused look, noticing it, he chuckled and said,

“This is the resting room where we escort the beginning contestants before the underground matches begin. In about thirty minutes the first round of the fights will begin and you’ll be called to fight. These fights are similar to the ones hosted in the Wall Market, however, since we aren’t as big as that area we don’t offer too much in prize money.”

“I see. May I ask your name?” Xia asked as she sat down at one of the tables the man offered her.

“The names Jamerson. I gotta feeling you aren’t from around here. So where are you from, little lady?” He asked as he went behind the bar and began to make her a drink.

She noticed that upon his mocha colored skin was a tattoo of what appeared to be a panther. Jamerson must have noticed her looking at his arm, and he simply rolled up his sleeve more to show her.

“It’s a family tattoo. I got this to show loyalty to my ancestors and to the gods that reside over us.” He explained softly before he brought her over a simple red drink.

“That’s nice. As for your question, I am afraid I don’t know. All I remember is my name and that I was discovered in the forest by a man. I need this money to pay him for helping me find my memories.” Xia explained as she stared into the red drink before taking a small sip of it.

The drink was a burning one that tasted like very spice yet sweet drink and before she turned to look at Jamerson. He seemed to be lost in thought that caused him to frown.

“Are you alright?” She asked and it was then he snapped out of his thoughts however, before he could say anything there was suddenly a loud screech from what appeared to speakers from the corners of the room.

“Kitty Kat. You are up!” She heard the familiar voice of Mac echoing through the room.

Xia frowned at the title as she stood up from the table and she looked over at Jamerson who said, “Good luck, Little Lady.”

Xia smiled and said, “Thank you for the drink.”

She followed him to the nearby door which revealed to be an elevator and got into it and allowed herself to go down. As the doors opened she began to walk to her fight, mentally she prayed that her body would remember how she would be able to fight as she gripped her staff.

Eventually she came to two large red double doors that held two tigers embedded into the doors, standing before them she took up a deep breath and watched as the door opened and prepared herself for her first real fight.

**(Hope you enjoy chapter 2! I apologize for any OOCness for Cloud! Let me know what you think!)**


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